Kevin Gay, founder and CEO of Operation New Hope, will receive the Medal of Honor, The Florida Bar Foundation's highest award for non-lawyers on June 16th. Operation New Hope was founded in 1999 to rebuild Jacksonville's challenged communities and give felons an...
In the News
Man Originally Facing 120-Year Prison Sentence Set Free
Randal Ratledge, who fired off two rounds of a gun, hitting no one, walked out of the Duval County Courthouse on Friday morning a free citizen. Originally, Ratledge was charged with six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after firing two shots just...
Supreme Court Rules 10-20-Life Sentences Don’t Have To Be Served Consecutively
This month, attorney Bill Sheppard and Bryan DeMaggio succeeded in winning the State v. Ratledge case, where they defended Florida man Randal Ratledge. Ratledge faced 120 years in prison after firing two gun shots into the air, harming no one. In the decision of this...
Florida Appellate Court Upholds 45 Year Sentence for Juvenile Offender
Earlier this week, the First District Court of Appeal denied a juvenile offender's request for the court to remand his 45 year term for a non-homicide crime for resentencing, which he contended violated the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The...
Not Quite Home: Florida Court Upholds Ban on Guns in College Dorms
In the latest battle over gun control in Florida, the Florida First District Court of Appeal recently rejected a challenge against the University of Florida's regulations on firearms. The case, Florida Carry, Inc. v. University of Florida, held that the University of...
William J. Sheppard Featured in New Book
William "Bill" Sheppard has been prominently featured in a new book Fifty Years of Justice: A History of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida by James M. Denham, published by the University Press of Florida. From the very first page, Mr. Sheppard...
Same Sex Marriage Legal in all 50 States
As we predicted, the Supreme Court has ruled 5-4 that same-sex marriage is legal nationwide. The Court decision is a landmark victory for equality in this country. As anticipated, Justice Kennedy's comments at oral argument were not indicative of his ultimate decision...
Oral Arguments Held in Same-Sex Marriage Case
Yesterday, the Supreme Court held oral arguments on the issue of same-sex marriage. The arguments revealed a few surprises. We are pleased that Justice Roberts pointed out that the marriage ban might be sex discrimination. Chief Justice Roberts stated that, "I mean,...
Recent Favorable Case Law on Search and Seizure
On February 13, 2015, the Fifth District Court of Appeal decided the case of Oliver v. State, 2015 WL 585536 (Fla. 5th DCA 2015). In Oliver, the defendant was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped for an inoperable tag light. The stop itself was not challenged on...
Racial Progress in the United States
March is the anniversary month for the famous protest along Alabama's Edmund Pettus Bridge led by Martin Luther King Jr. in his mission to achieve fair voting rights. Fifty years later, the fight for equality for African-Americans is not over. The Huffington Post put...